City Police slammed for 'arresting babies'
JEMIMA BEUKES
WINDHOEK
The City Police have come under fire for arresting seven minors, including nursing babies, and two pregnant women when they rounded up a group of people for grabbing land and obstructing the police.
The group of unemployed people say they were not grabbing land.
They say they were arrested at a City Police satellite station when they sought permission to march to the office of mayor Job Amupanda on the issue of land.
“We initially went to the Namibian Police at Wanaheda but we were told the station commander was unavailable and so we approached the City Police, where we were told to enter the yard and the yard was locked and a police van used by the Kalahari crime unit also arrived and arrested us on the spot,” says one of the group.
They also claim that they had been informed by some officials that the City was in the process of allocating land, hence their attempt to meet with the mayor.
Official version
Court documents suggest instead that the group of people attacked police vans with stones and barred police officers from removing corrugated iron sheets from their illegal shacks.
The accused were all released on warning while the minors were released into the care of their guardians.
The case was postponed to 18 June for further investigation. Meanwhile, the court will hear the matter relating to the minor accused on 7 May.
The matter was heard in the Katutura Magistrate's Court by Magistrate Niinja Hochobes.
The State was represented by Tuaundamuje Mukumbo.
Vilen Hifindaka from the People's Litigation Centre (PLC) represented the minors.
[email protected]
WINDHOEK
The City Police have come under fire for arresting seven minors, including nursing babies, and two pregnant women when they rounded up a group of people for grabbing land and obstructing the police.
The group of unemployed people say they were not grabbing land.
They say they were arrested at a City Police satellite station when they sought permission to march to the office of mayor Job Amupanda on the issue of land.
“We initially went to the Namibian Police at Wanaheda but we were told the station commander was unavailable and so we approached the City Police, where we were told to enter the yard and the yard was locked and a police van used by the Kalahari crime unit also arrived and arrested us on the spot,” says one of the group.
They also claim that they had been informed by some officials that the City was in the process of allocating land, hence their attempt to meet with the mayor.
Official version
Court documents suggest instead that the group of people attacked police vans with stones and barred police officers from removing corrugated iron sheets from their illegal shacks.
The accused were all released on warning while the minors were released into the care of their guardians.
The case was postponed to 18 June for further investigation. Meanwhile, the court will hear the matter relating to the minor accused on 7 May.
The matter was heard in the Katutura Magistrate's Court by Magistrate Niinja Hochobes.
The State was represented by Tuaundamuje Mukumbo.
Vilen Hifindaka from the People's Litigation Centre (PLC) represented the minors.
[email protected]
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